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Perfect Local Thing to Do with Family and Friends for Your Thanksgiving Weekend! Here’s a taste of what’s in store

Let us know you’re coming!!

10AM-3PM – Toronto Flower Market @ 659 Queen St. E

Start off your Thanksgiving weekend at the Toronto Flower Market located in the 659 Queen Street East lot. They are a monthly pop-up market that ‘celebrates locally grown flowers, the growers that cultivate them and the florists that style them’. The market has been a fantastic addition animating Riverside’s west end this year. October 10^th is the last market date of the season – so don’t miss checking it out and getting fresh blooms for your Thanksgiving décor!

11AM – 1PM – Riverside Past, Present & Future Guided Walk  starting @ 625 Queen St E

We are excited to offer this FREE Riverside Walk as a fun, low key event to get you moving! Bring your family and friends and learn about the Riverside neighbourhood’s fascinating history dating back to the 1800s, as well as the inside scoop on exciting current and future plans. Explore the stories of the Riverside Bridge, Sunlight Park, Riverside Square, Broadview Hotel, the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffalo, Degrassi Street and much, much more. To end off our walk, we’ll enjoy refreshments at The County General Riverside!

Our fabulous walk leader is Megan Sheppard – who was born and raised right here in Riverside on the famous Degrassi Street. Megan stems from three generations of realtors serving Riverside, Leslieville, Leadside and the Beach neighbourhoods. She promises a fun-filled walk!

Also, available on the Guided Walk, get your limited edition Riverside t-shirt featuring the iconic art of the Bridge and Queen St. East for just $15 while supplies last- $$ goes toward supporting your fav’ neighbourhood.

12PM- 6PM –Sidewalk event – along Queen St E from DVP to Degrassi St
After your neighbourhood tour, experience some great deals with Riverside’s Sidewalk event where you can shop and experience Riverside’s family friendly food outlets, boutiques and restaurants in its unique small town in the big city atmosphere.

Riverside’s Newest Shop, Oso Viejo Imports, Blends Sustainability, Fair Trade and Art in its Unique Wood Products

Oso Viejo Imports Inc. landed in Riverside in mid-September, at 700 Queen Street East. Visit them in their beautiful space to experience their exquisite yet super durable wood products. In the meantime, check out more on Instagram: oso_viejo_imports and Twitter: @OsoViejoImports.

Here’s the inside scoop about Oso Viejo from shop manager Onai Sharif:

Why the name ‘Oso Viejo’?

Oso Viejo literally means “Old Bear” and the name was chosen because it was a way to pay tribute to Mexico where our first product came from and also, our producers have a big wooden carving of a bear as a good luck charm in their shop…and we thought it would be interesting to call the company Oso (bear) Viejo (old).

The story of Oso Viejo Imports
One day in 2014 while on holidays in Mexico, we stumbled upon a small “Ma and Pa” shop in a small village outside of Mexico City specializing in antique furniture pieces.  While browsing the store, beautiful pieces of Mesquite wood tables captured our eye and we immediately became fascinated with their rustic-inspired craftsmanship.  The owners of this small shop make a living by acquiring the raw wood from damaged or old trees that need to be cut down for reforestation and turn them into hand crafted furnishings.  Each one of these sustainable whimsical creations is crafted from 100-200 year old trees, and each has its own distinctive charming characteristics that will warm your heart.  Mesquite wood being one of the toughest woods around is hard to damage and so it is sure to be around for generations.
Naturally, after a short time Oso Viejo Imports Inc. was born and with a creative vision of bringing unique, artistic home furniture and accessories from around the world to Canada.  Our mission is to bring family and friends together with our quality one-of-a kind products.   We hope you enjoy Oso Viejo Imports as much as we enjoy introducing interesting design elements to your homes and cottages.

About the Owners and Onai
The owners are a group of investors whose passion is to bring new and innovative, artistic pieces from around world to Canada – essentially uniting cultures in Canada.  I am here because I believe in that vision. My goal is to make that vision into a reality starting with the first product, the mesquite table tops.

About the product
The table tops are made out of Mesquite wood, which is native to Mexico and southern parts of the USA. On the Janka Hardness scale, mesquite scores 2345 which makes it one of the toughest and hardest woods around.  In other words, it is difficult to damage the wood.  Where we source the wood from is a small village well outside of Mexico City, Mexico.  The product is fair trade, ethically sourced and sustainable. Due to the labour, and intensity that goes into each slab of wood, we make sure that our producers are well compensated for their hard work, as each item is hand crafted.  Also, a portion of sales will go back to the villages to help with re-plantation of trees.  We see it as the only way to do business in developing countries: Fair prices and giving back to the community that helped us get here.

If you are looking for a unique, durable piece for your home or office, this is the place to go. Please spread the word!!

Riverside is please to profile Downtown Automotive Group, a Silver Sponsor of the Riverside Westerly Gateway and Bridge Lighting Project.

Who is The Downtown Automotive Group?

The Downtown Automotive Group (DAG) represents a significant number of the most recognized and respected brands in the automotive industry.

Founded in 1992 by the company president & CEO, Shahin Alizadeh, with Downtown Toyota, DAG has been an active member of the downtown Toronto community from day one and this is something that set’s the company apart from other auto groups: its participation and engagement within the community it serves, namely the downtown core and vicinity.

It has now grown to seven locations, six brands (Lexus, Infiniti, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai & Scion) and will be expanding again in the fall of 2015 to include Ford and Lincoln. Now, with over 300 employees and growing, the company operates under the vision that people are our most important asset and the foundation of our success.

How is DAG Unique?

Every employee, from sales to management, marketing to accounting, plays a strategic role in making the company what it is. More importantly, they all hold the belief that meeting customer expectations with every interaction and engagement is essential but that exceeding those expectations is our core goal. By creating outstanding and memorable customer experiences we earn the trust that our customers have in us, our brands, the products and services we represent.

What Local Initiatives has DAG Supported?

With so many local festivals held in Toronto each year, it would be almost impossible for DAG or one of its brands not to be involved in many of them. In addition to supporting The Riverside Bridge, this year, Scion Downtown was proud partner in CityFest and a participant in the Humberview Shores Waterfront Festival while Lexus Downtown was a leading sponsor of Importfest and the 2015 Yorkville Run.

For the last three years, DAG has been a leading partner of the B&O Yorkville Run in support of the Toronto YWCA Women’s Shelter. In addition, a special event – attended by more than 150 people and designed to raise additional awareness and funds for the organization, was held on September 10^th. Besides a silent auction, guests were entertained by Juno Award winning jazz vocalist Molly Johnson – also a strong supporter of the YWCA and its community activities.

DAG has been a part of the downtown Toronto community for almost 25 years and its commitment to the community only gets stronger with each passing year.